Review of Fences (2016) by Warwick B — 26 Mar 2017

In this stage to big screen adaptation of August Wilson's award winning play, Denzel Washington and Viola Davis go head to head with two best performances of their respective careers.

Set in 1950s Pittsburgh, Fences sees Washington as Troy Maxson, who makes his living working 'on the bins'. It's not a bad life, but it's not the one he dreamed he'd have - Troy insists he could have been a champion baseball player were it not for the colour ban. When his talented son Cory (Jovan Adepo) starts showing signs that he might achieve everything his father wanted, Rose, Troy's wife, tries to keep the peace in the family, until something happens that causes her to snap.

Wilson's portrayal of the African American experience is as relevant for audiences as it has ever been. Ambition and responsibility, courage and discrimination are threaded through the lives of Troy and his family, who are torn apart by his actions. The fence he builds is real, but also a metaphor for what we keep close and what we protect ourselves from.

Directing himself, Washington is superb as a furiously wounded alpha male, drunk and embittered, meting out his resentments on his family. It's a mesmerising performance of a man capable of great charisma but crippled by his bitter self pity. But it is the near faultless, ever magnificent Davis as his put on wife Rose, hurt, proud and determined, who's steals his glory and is the star of this show.

This critically acclaimed, award winning family drama is a powerful portrait of how we cope with what life throws at us. Do you accept the disappointments and make the best of what you're given? Or do you dwell on what might have been and live life full of regret and resentment.